Authorities raid Person County farm

More than 100 animals were seized from a Person County farm by the Humane Society of the United States and Person County Animal Control Tuesday.

The Person County Sheriff's Office served a search and seizure warrant on the property and found 39 horses and nearly 70 small-breed dogs, cats and birds being housed in unsanitary conditions.

Officials became concerned about the facility after receiving complaints from the community. The horses at the farm were described as being very thin. Some were suffering from medical issues that required immediate attention.

Many of the dogs and cats suffered from eye infections, skin infections and other signs of severe neglect.

"The Humane Society of the United States is glad to help Person County Animal Control with this very sad case of neglect," said Kim Alboum, North Carolina state director for The HSUS. "The conditions in this home are egregious and these animals desperately needed rescue. Now they are on the path to much better lives."

"The situation here deteriorated so badly that we knew it was time to act," said Ron Shaw, director of Person County Animal Control. "I'm incredibly grateful that we did, because the conditions for the small animals living inside were deplorable."

The owner surrendered the animals, and they were taken to area shelters for immediate evaluation and treatment by veterinarians.